How can Counseling and Therapy Help with Depression

 

 

When we are talking about Mental Health, Depression is a common topic that comes out. Depression can present itself in different ways and its intensity can vary from mild to severe, necessitating different types of interventions. Although curing depression is a long process, individuals can employ various strategies to manage the symptoms they may experience. Seeking professional help from a mental health counselor or therapist is one important step towards getting better. Let’s take a closer look at how counseling can alleviate depression and improve daily life functioning.

 

A Word About Depression

More than 16 milion American adults in the US, experience depression. This is almost 7.2% of the population, making depression one of the most frequent mental health disorders in the country.

Unfortunately, many of depressed people do not to reach out for help due to the nature of their symptoms or often believing that their depression can go away on its own. Avoiding getting help causes continued suffering and worsening of symptoms. An individual suffering from depression usually experiences changes in:

• Low mood and Sadness
• Tearful or Crying Spells
• Poor Concentration
• Disturbed Sleep Patterns
• Decreased Energy Level and Fatigue
• Loss or Increase of Appetite

If untreated, depression may lead to hopelessness and even suicidal thoughts. That’s why it is crucial to reach out for depression help. If you experience suicidal thoughts, know that the Suicidal Hotline-#988 offers crisis support 24/7 free of charge.

How Can Counseling or Therapy Help

People are often hesitant to talk about their depression with friends or family, feeling that they might not understand their situation or ashamed about the way they have been feeling and living. Counseling offers an emotionally safe and discreet environment with a profession therapist who is trained in helping with depression.

After people start to open up about their struggles, a professional counselor will be able to evaluate and refer for a possible medication management if the symptoms are severe enough.

Let’s take a closer look at other specific benefits mental health counseling and psychotherapy have to offer.

Set Your Goals with Counseling

Feeling apathetic, fatigued and unmotivated are some of the main symptoms of depression. You may have little desire to do anything and spent most days sitting in your room, sleeping excessively, eating unhealthy food and letting go of your self-care. Feeling hopeless can make this problem worse.

Mental health counselors and therapists are trained in interventions and tools to help you get unstuck from the above patters and get back out into your life. Many of your sessions will probably be devoted to problem-solving and setting short and long-term goals.

A counselor will assist you in breaking bigger problems into smaller steps to make it more manageable. Then by addressing smaller tasks first, you will slowly regain the motivation to tackle larger issues.

Get Objective Guidance through Counseling

Depression affects how people think. These patterns of skewed thinking called “cognitive distortions”. Some of the examples of cognitive distortions include: catastrophizing, overgeneralizing, black and white thinking, all-or-nothing thinking, jumping to conclusions, “should” statement, emotional reasoning, discounting the positives and magnification.

A professionally trained therapist will help you identify, challenge and replace your cognitive distortions to get a more realistic picture of your situation and be able to manage it.

Stay Honest with Yourself through Counseling

While friends and family may offer consolation and support during hard times, talking to them about personal concerns may not always result in the most honest and fruitful exchanges, particularly when it comes to depression. Friends and family members may avoid being completely truthful in order to spare their loved one’s feelings or avoid making the situation worse.

On the other hand, a trained professional, such as mental health counselor or a therapist can provide a safe and impartial space for people to talk openly about their struggles with depression, without fear of judgment or personal attachment. By facilitating difficult conversations and offering unbiased and professional guidance counselors can help clients alleviate their depression and improve their overall mental health.

Don’t Hesitate to Ask For Help

There is a good likelihood that you are depressed if you lack the desire to accomplish anything and feel as if your life is spinning out of control. Unfortunately, depression doesn’t go away on its own and the sooner you get help the quicker you’ll recover. That’s why you should act right away and get the professional help that will get you back on track.

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